Analyzing the dramatic growth of Buddhism in Canada in global and historical contexts.

When Sasaki Sokei-an founded his First Zen Institute of North America in 1930 he suggested that bringing Zen Buddhism to America was like "holding a lotus against a rock and waiting for it to set down roots." Today, Buddhism is part of the cultural and religious mainstream.

Flowers on the Rock examines the dramatic growth of Buddhism in Canada and questions some of the underlying assumptions about how this tradition has changed in the West. Using historical, ethnographic, and biographical approaches, contributors illuminate local expressions of Buddhism found throughout Canada and relate the growth of Buddhism in Canada to global networks. A global perspective allows the volume to overcome the stereotype that Asia and the West are in opposition to each other and recognizes the continuities between Buddhist movements in Asia and the West that are shaped by the same influences of modernity and globalization.

Flowers on the Rock studies the fascinating and ingenious changes, inflections, and adaptations that Buddhists make when they set down roots in a local culture. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Buddhism, religious life in Canada, and the broader issues of multiculturalism and immigration.

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“Flowers on the Rock discusses innovative expressions of Buddhism in Canada and will appeal to a wide audience. Scholars and students of Buddhist studies will benefit greatly from the authors’ position that Buddhism is a living culture, constantly changing.”Mathieu Boisvert, Département de sciences des religions, Université du Québec à Montréal“Building on the project initiated by the editors in Wild Geese: Buddhism in Canada, Flowers on the Rock develops themes presented in that work, expands the breadth of inquiry regionally, and introduces significant new material on the history and development of Buddhism in Canada. Wild Geese was groundbreaking in the field of Canadian Buddhist Studies - Flowers on the Rock is of the same caliber.”James Mullens, Department of Religion and Culture, University of Saskatchewan“This volume is more than simply an anthology of essays about the history of Buddhism’s transmission to Canada. The collection’s essays also question some of the assumptions about how Buddhism was changed by its transmission to Western cultures. Of particular value is how the contributors relate Buddhism’s growth in Canada to the global evolution of Buddhism in South Asia and East Asia.”Choice"This is an excellent, wide ranging, and useful book." Studies in Religion / Science Religieuse

John S. Harding is associate professor of East Asian religions at the University of Lethbridge.Victor Sogen Hori, a former Buddhist monk, is associate professor of Japanese religion at McGill University.Alexander Soucy is associate professor of religious studies at Saint Mary's University.